The now infamous computer hacks infuriated consumers who had personal information compromised and Hollywood honchos who had embarrassing emails made public.
But headline-grabbing computer intrusions are only a fraction of what is going on in the Wild West of cybercrime. According to Nextgov, the online resource for federal technology decision makers, energy giant BP faces 50,000 attempts at cyberintrusion a day. The Pentagon? Ten million a day. The National Nuclear Security Administration? Another 10 million.
Dramatic websites from two major computer security companies, Norse Corp. (http://map.ipviking.com) and Kaspersky Lab (https://cybermap.kasper sky.com) display vivid real-time maps of ongoing cyberwarfare being waged around the globe.
That has sparked a mad dash for cybersecurity experts - and another mad dash to recruit and educate students in that field.